The Triassic palynofloral succession in England

Abstract

Triassic red beds in England contain rare horizons which have yielded rich and varied palynofloras. Assemblages ranging in age from late Scythian to Rhaetian are described from surface exposures in the South‐West and Midlands of England. Five major palynofloral suites of late Scythian—early Anisian, Ladinian, early Carnian, late Carnian and Rhaetian ages are annotated and may be compared with assemblages recorded from the North Sea Basin and Northwest Europe.

The “Waterstones” contain a number of palyniferous sections which have yielded assemblages typified by the association of species of the bisaccate genera Alisporites, Angustisulcites, Illinites, Triadispora and Voltziaceaesporites and considered to be of late Scythian—early Anisian age. The Keuper Marl facies, although generally barren, has yielded assemblages ranging in age from Ladinian to Norian and characterized by distinctive palynofloras numerically dominated by bisaccate and asaccate grains with less abundant cryptogam spores. Rhaetian sections are commonly palyniferous, with assemblages composed of stratigraphically restricted and morphologically distinctive genera, including Class‐opollis, Limbosporites, Ovalipollis, Perinosporites, Rhaetipollis, Rhaetogonyaulax, Ricciisporites and Zebrasporites.

The conspicuous uniformity in specific content of palynofloras from English and continental European Triassic sections suggests that Triassic standing floras were widespread and locally persistent and that their impersistent representation in the fossil record was controlled by inimical depositional environments.